Spools are used for receiving thereon a strip of parts. The strip of parts can be easily handled with the spool and be provided to a machine for further transformation or installation on a manufactured product. Spools can have various formats and configurations adapted to their intended use. Spools, for instance, can be made of two assembled sides cooperating together to house and wind the strip of parts in a radial overlapping arrangement adapted to be unwinded when parts are required during the manufacturing process.
The two sides of the spool can be made of metallic, plastic or other types of materials suitable for sustaining the required mechanical load applied to the spool. Ideally, the two sides of the spool are made of strong and light material. The spool is generally rotatably secured on a support shaft for winding and unwinding the strip of parts.
Manipulation of spools can be difficult given the weight of the strip winded thereon. Replacement of empty spools might be tedious to keep an assembly line working without having to stop for spool replacement. Spools supporting a heavy strip of parts can also be challenging to actuate without damaging the spool.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved spool and a way to secure the spool on support shaft. A need has been felt to support and manage rotation of the spool with a shaft that can secure the spool thereon. Additionally, there is a need for a spool-securing mechanism that can automatically secure and unsecure a spool thereon.